While Elena Krasnova was growing up in Volgograd in what was then the Soviet Union, there were no such things as buttery croissants for breakfast or elegant chocolates for dessert, items she now crafts daily at her Burnaby pastry shop, Mon Paris Patisserie.

It was during the perestroika period, a time of economic chaos, and bare necessities were scarce. At home during the holidays, however, there was cake—always cake.

“At Christmas, we always had Russian Napoleon cake,” Krasnova says on the line from her shop. “It’s like the French mille-feuille cake, only we use puff pastry and pastry cream. Every house made it a little bit differently. It was a big part of the holidays.”

With up to 16 layers in the Russian version, a Napoleon cake is not a last-minute dessert, nor one that tops the list among home bakers pressed for time during the lead-up to the holidays or who are just learning to make sugar cookies.

Holiday baking, however, is for many people as integral to the festive season as Advent calendars and stocking stuffers. Here, Krasnova and other top local culinary talents share their tips on how to bake your way to a delicious Christmas.

Although she carries delicacies like bûches de Noël and milk-chocolate Rudolphs at this time of year, Krasnova says gingerbread men and women remain one of the most popular treats. She urges people not to be intimidated by making the royal icing used to decorate them. “It’s very easy, just egg whites and icing sugar,” she says. “Be sure to have the egg at room temperature before you add your icing sugar. Whip it until it’s good for piping.”

Shortbread is a great go-to for novice bakers because it’s so straightforward; the classic recipe has just three ingredients: butter, icing sugar, and flour. “It’s a very easy recipe to make,” Krasnova says. “Then you can play around with it: you can add pistachios, cranberries, hazelnuts, different kinds of dried fruit, or chocolate.”

Most cookie dough can be made ahead of time and frozen until you’re ready to decorate and bake, Krasnova says; it’s even better if you can gather the family together to make it a group effort. For accuracy and consistency in baking, she suggests using kitchen scales rather than measuring cups and spoons. And as any pro will tell you, use high-quality ingredients for better-tasting goods.

Above all, keep it simple. “Have fun with it,” Krasnova says. “Don’t stress yourself out. On Instagram, people tend to go overboard. Just use little decorating accents. The trend is ‘Less is more.’ ”

Ryan McDonald, executive chef at Urban Fare, agrees that attempting to replicate what you see on social media can lead to baking disaster. “Avoid everything on Pinterest,” he says with a laugh.

For best results, cut butter into cubes and leave them on the counter for two to three hours before using so that they reach room temperature. “Otherwise, you end up with dense dough,” McDonald says.

He also prefers to use fresh rather than frozen berries, as the latter can add liquid to batter and lead to less impressive results.

It’s okay to take creative shortcuts, too, McDonald says. In recipes that call for cream, swap eggnog (which he does when making Christmas-breakfast French toast out of brioche or panettone); in those that call for maple syrup, consider adding spices such as anise or nutmeg.

Christmas dessert at his house calls for pie: banana cream, apple, and cherry, all made by his mom, an avid baker. “Make the dessert the day before,” he says. “Anything you can do the day before, do it. You always think you’ll have enough time and enough room, but you never do.”

Chef Caren McSherry, who owns Gourmet Warehouse, says simplicity is where it’s at. By no means does doing away with ornate decorations or extravagant desserts mean that you or your guests will be any less delighted.

For example, she makes classic butter cookies, which consist of sugar, flour, and vanilla. Rather than using cookie cutters, she uses a piping bag to squeeze out lines about the size of her pinkie finger onto a cookie sheet. Once they’re done baking, she dips the ends in melted white chocolate and toasted pistachios.

"It screams Christmas," she says. "When you have classics, and they're standbys, stick with it. If you have a pastry that works for you, why try a new one?

“Ditch the sucky star shape,” she adds. “And ditch the freaking fruitcake; it’s so 100 years ago. Those chemically coloured fruit are nasty.”

If you’d like to serve tarts but don’t have the time or inclination to make your own pastry, buy frozen ones, ideally from a local shop like Tartine Bread and Pies, McSherry suggests. “Pastry is one of the hardest things to do, and people shy away from stuff they can’t make.

“Get the empty shells, get a great jar of lemon curd, one made with butter,” she says. “Take a cup of lemon curd and a cup of Italian mascarpone; dollop that into prepared shells and put a blackberry or blueberry or raspberry on top of each one. Or crush up amaretti biscuits and mix together with mascarpone for a little bit of texture. Dollop that into the shells, put sliced bananas over the top, and about an hour before serving, put dried sugar on top and brûlée it. A lot of people have a kitchen torch they’ve never used.”

If you have an affinity for stollen, a German fruit-and-nut loaf, McSherry suggests purchasing it from a reputable place like Thomas Haas Chocolates or Temper Chocolate and Pastry rather than adding something so time-consuming to your to-do list. “Don’t feel bad about buying things,” she says. “Just get the best quality so they don’t taste like shite.”

Another easy treat from McSherry’s arsenal that’s guaranteed to please: corn flakes with toasted, slivered almonds and melted chocolate. Stir it all together, put teaspoon-size drops on parchment paper, and, just before the chocolate is set, sprinkle some gold flake on top. “People love these,” McSherry says.

"Don't stress yourself out," she adds. "If you have a three-page recipe, rip it out of the book."

Although Christmas dessert at her home might involve something on the lighter side—such as plum pudding, crème caramel, or lemon tarts—McSherry loves the idea of putting out a big plate of cookies. Guests can take as many or as few as they like, and it’s not an overbearing dessert.

“Put the cookies on Grandma’s silver platter, with greenery or pine cones between the rows,” she says. “Always make sure to have a glass of port or Sauternes with it. It’s a good way to relax after turkey dinner.”

Temper chef-owner Steven Hodge has a passion for cookies too, especially ginger and linzer cookies. Having grown up helping his mom bake, he remembers apple pie being served during the holidays. This year, he’ll likely have stollen and panettone on hand at home.

“For beginner bakers, keep it simple, like almond shortbread,” Hodge says. “You can make different shapes, and all you need to do is coat it in granulated sugar. It’s amazing with milk or tea.

“For advanced bakers, try to make a chocolate yule log,” he says. “The key is making a sponge that is thin so it’s easy to roll the cream in. Dust it with icing sugar and shaved chocolate.”

Remi Ho, pastry chef at Origo Club in Richmond, loves making bûches de Noël as well, saying they’re as important to a holiday meal as turkey itself. He loves the technical side of pastry-making, with galettes des rois—a frangipane tart with pastry, butter, and ground almonds—being another festive favourite. That said, he reassures home bakers that their creations need not achieve aesthetic perfection.

“Focus on the taste and not the look,” Ho says. “Don’t worry about what your baking looks like but how it tastes in your mouth. Use great ingredients.”

Gizelle Paré, East Van Roasters’ pastry chef and head chocolatier, says food and baking have always been at the centre of all family gatherings, her mom being Chinese from Peru and her dad French-Canadian. She recalls growing up helping her mom make alfajores, which are dulce de leche sandwich cookies.

These days, she often finds herself craving cake during the holidays. “I’ll usually make some kind of coffee cake that isn’t too sweet or complicated that I can enjoy with a cup of tea,” she tells the Straight.

Paré loves to bake cookies to give away as gifts; chewy ginger-molasses cookies are always on her list, as she finds gingerbread cookies too dry.

Cookies and squares are great for beginner bakers to start with since the methods are usually uncomplicated and the recipes forgiving, Paré says. Skilled bakers will have more options, especially if they can successfully make puff pastry. Regardless of what level you’re at, her advice is to give a baking session the time it requires rather than rushing through it.

“Whenever you’re tackling a new recipe it’s important first to read the recipe all the way through before beginning,” Paré says. “That way you can organize yourself, making sure there are no hidden steps that you may be overlooking and that you have all the necessary ingredients and tools.

“If you’re an advanced baker, the sky is the limit,” she says. “Dare to experiment and try new recipes. There are so many resources and instructional videos out there, you can make relatively anything at home. Try making some canelés. But be patient, especially if you’ve never made these recipes before. They may require a few attempts before you get them right.

“For me, holiday baking is all about spreading joy to my friends and family,” Paré notes. “Whatever you make, make it with love and it will be well received.”